A Body of Practical Divinity

Quest. 2. When do Believers enter upon Possession of Glory?

Resp. They pass immediately after Death into Glory. Some hold with the Platonists and; Lucianists that the Soul dies. But many of the Sober Heathens believed the Souls immortality. The Romans when their Great Men died, caused an Eagle to be let loose, and fly about in the Air, signifying hereby that the Soul was immortal, and did not dye with the Body. Christ tells us the Soul is not capable of Killing, Luke 12.4. Therefore not of Dying. And as the Soul doth not Dye, so neither doth it Sleep in the Body for a time. If the Soul be at Death absent from the Body, 2 Cor. 5.8. then it cannot Sleep in the Body. There is an immediate passage from Death to Glory: It is but winking and we shall see God, Luke 23.43. This Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise; by Paradise is meant Heaven, the Third Heaven into which Paul was wrapped, (which all hold to be the Heaven of the blessed) was called Paradise, 2 Cor 12.4. Now saith Christ to the Thief on the Cross, [Greek or Hebrew] This Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, his Body could not be there, for it was laid in the Grave: But it was spoke of his Soul, that it should be immediately after Death in Heaven. Let none be so vain as to talk of Purgatory. A Soul purged by Christs Blood, needs no fire of Purgatory, but goes immediately from a Death-bed into a glorified State.

Resp. They pass immediately after Death into Glory. Some hold with the Platonists and; Lucianists that the Soul dies. But many of the Sober Heathens believed the Souls immortality. The Romans when their Great Men died, caus'd an Eagle to be let loose, and fly about in the Air, signifying hereby that the Soul was immortal, and did not dye with the Body. Christ tells us the Soul is not capable of Killing, Luke 12.4. Therefore not of Dying. And as the Soul doth not Dye, so neither doth it Sleep in the Body for a time. If the Soul be at Death absent from the Body,